Rheostat.



G. B. REISBACH.

APPLICATION men mw 6.19:4.

Patnmd Apr. 27, 1915.

. slit rinousrsv s. sax-space, or MILWAUKEE, WISC-GNSIN, nssIeNoR 51 THE cornea HAM-J33 MFG. CF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION 0!? W151 consrn,

OFFICE.

EHEOSTAT.

morass.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2'7, 1915.

s arates 5126 Hey i, 1914. Sirial 30. 835,744.

To all whom it concern Be it known 1, Gos'rnv B. Rnrssnon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county oi Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Imprcg'ements the following a clear, concise, and exact description, re nee being bad to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to rheostats and more particularly to clamping means for. the control levers thereof. {line of the objects of the invention is to provide means to enable independent adjustment of a plurality of levers on a common shaft and Simultaneous operationthereof when adjusted in any relative position. In the accompanying drawing, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a theater dimmer,-Figure 1 is a side view of a dimmer unit showing in section a clamping device for the control lever; and, Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, showing two additional dimmer unitsarranged in bank formation.

Each dimmer unit comprises a rheostat plate 1 having a pivoted arm 2 arranged to sweep over a series of contacts 3 connected to the resistance carried by the plate 1. The arm 2 is provided with a. centralpinion 4 meshing with a rack 5 connected to a control lever 6 rotatable on a shaft 7. The rack 5 is held in engagement with the pinion 4 by a pivoted yolre 8 which permits variation of the tangent angle of the rack when reciprocated by movement of the lever 6.

A plurality of the rheostats are preferably mounted side by side with the operating levers 6 of each arranged, on the common master shaft 7 and normally capable of independent movement thercon. It is frequently desirable, however, to operate a number of dimmers, or the entire bank thereof,simultaneously through the medium of a master lever 9 fixed to turn the shaft 7.

. Each lever 6 comprises a. bracket 10 having hearings on the shaft 7 and inclosing a or collar 11 which encircles the shaft. no two ends of the ring 11 are biased slightly apart but are restrainedagainst separation between a bracket shoul der 12 and the end of a spindle 13 threaded through a second-bracket shoulder 14. The free end of the spindle 13 is connected to lilieostats, of whichthe handle 15 of the lever 6 whereby rota.- tion of the handle raises or lowers the spindle to expand or contract the ring 11. Each of the levers 6 may thus be independently adustcd to any angle and clamped to the shaft 7 by turning the spindle 13 so that the ring 11 grips the shaft '7 and locksthe operating I rheostats, of an operating member for each,

a common supporting shaft for said members, means associated with each of said members to fix the same to said shaft in any angular position relative thereto, and a toss ter lever for turning said shaft to operate all of said levers simultaneously. 7

2. The combination with a plurality of rhcostats having movable contact arms, of a shaft, an independently operable lever for each of said arms loosely fulcrumed on said shaft, an operative connection between eachof said levers and its respective arm, means associated with each of said levers to clamp the same to said shaft in the position thereof corresponding to any adjustment of its respective arm, and a master lever for turning said shaft.

3. The combination with a plurality of rheostats, of a pivoted operating lever for each, a common supporting shaft on which all of said levers are loosely fulcrumed, d"-

master lever for turning said shaft, and

operative connecting means between said shaft and each of said pivoted levers for fixing the latter to the former in any angular position relative thereto, said means comprising a com ressible collar loosely encir cling said s'ha t and a threaded spindle carrie-d by said lever and rotatable for. tighte-ning said collar to said shaft.

4. The combination with a plurality of rheostats having movable contact arms, of a pivoted operating lever for each of said arms, a common supporting shaft on which all of said levers are loosely fulcrumed, a, member having a fixed relation with-each of said levers andrelatively movable with 7 respect to said shaft, nieans by eech In wiihnesswhereof, I have hSIGlHItO sub of saidlevers for rendering its'respectwe scribed my name in the presence of twa member fixed to said shaft 111 aiiy angular witnesses. 1 'positi on 0f the lever, seid levers' being mde+ V GUSTAV B. REISBACH. izpendently o emble and'said means being Witnesses:

independent y 0 enable, and a master lever i -W. C. STEVENS, for rotating sai shaft. H. R. (Meson. 

